Thank you for proceeding with charges against Barry Shelott and Cassie
Warsing, the Ashtabula, Ohio couple who allegedly ran over a 12-pound
Pomeranian puppy, Tigger, three times on May 12, 2004.

It is difficult to imagine Shelott and Warsing's mindset as they switched
seats to repeatedly run down and kill Tigger just outside his home, in front
of his six-year-old guardian and other witnesses. I understand the accused,
who pleaded not guilty, face misdemeanor penalties for their first known
animal cruelty offense. I hope you will pursue the maximum 3-month jail
sentence and fine upon conviction.

Shelott and Warsing deserve more than misdemeanor charges. Their vehicle,
utilized in the commission of a violent assault, ought to be seized and the
court should order the couple to undergo psychiatric evaluation. If
possible, please ask that Tigger's killers be prohibited from owning or
harboring animals in any context.

The deliberate slaying of a tiny, defenseless animal is an act of violence.
Individuals who torture animals belong behind bars. In addition, the legal
system cannot afford to overlook the established link between animal abuse
and human violence.

Animal abuse is an overt clue to anti-social behavior and is listed as a key
trait for conduct disorders in an American Psychiatric Association profile.
The FBI also recognizes animal abuse as a stage along the violence
continuum.

History shows violent criminals "practice" on animals before graduating to
humans. Boston Strangler Albert DeSalvo shot arrows through the slats of
crated dogs and cats. Carroll Edward Cole, executed in 1985 for an alleged
35 murders, strangled a puppy before advancing to humans. Jason Massey's
killing
career began with cats and dogs; at 20 he decapitated a 13-year-old
girl and fatally shot her stepbrother.

These horror stories represent a small portion of the animal-to-human
progression recorded in police case files. Violence rarely occurs in a
vacuum.

TIgger was a treasured companion, an innocent bystander caught in a
senseless and violent moment. Please prosecute his killers to the fullest
extent under the law.